Audience theory- Enigma theory

Audience Theories (The Enigma Theory)

Media theorist Roland Barthes devised a theory of the enigma code, in which he claimed that the purpose of the author of a media text is to keep the audience guessing through establishing enigmas for the audience to work out. These are conventionally revealed in the final scene of the film. This is a useful tool for a trailer, as establishing enigma codes makes the audience want to find out the answers to the enigmas and go and see the film.

Enigma codes pose questions to the audience which will then be answered later in the film. Examples of enigma codes are 'Who is that?', 'Where are they going?' etc. Enigma codes are an important aspect of any film as it enables the audience to become intrigued about the film and influence them to continue watching the film. In our trailer we have used various enigma codes to entice the audience. For example the audience will be asking 'Who is that?' when they are shown an over the shoulder shot of a suspicious figure following the victim. This means that the killers identity is an enigma as the audience will want to find out who the killer is by watching the film. This leads on to the next question 'Why is the victim being followed?' and 'Where is the victim going?'. These questions are all questions the audience wants answered and the only way to get these answers is to continue watching the film.

Other enigma codes we used were 'What has happened to them?'. This is when the audience are shown a long shot of the victim being dragged through the woods. The audience cannot be sure what has exactly happened to them but will be intrigued to find out which, again, will make them want to continue watching our film. These enigma codes have all been recognisable in our trailer. During our audience feedback a strength of our film was that our mixed story line made the audience question what is happening which enticed them to continue watching.

Audience theory- Cultivation theory

Audience Theories (The Cultivation Theory)

This theory also treats the audience as passive and it suggests that repeated exposure to the same message, such as an advertisement, will have an effect on the audiences attitudes and values. A similar idea is know as desensitisation-which suggests that long term exposure to violent media makes the audience less likely to be shocked by violence and more likely to behave in that manner.

The theory states that repeated exposure to the same message, such as an advertisement, will have an effect on the audiences attitudes and values. A similar idea is know as desensitisation-which suggests that long term exposure to violent media makes the audience less likely to be shocked by violence and more likely to behave in that manner. We apply George Gerbner's Cultivation theory to our film by using a black hooded murderer as the main antagonist. We also use the idea of a girl home-alone and being vulnerable in her own home which has a horrifying effect on the audience; they believe it could easily happen to them, even in the sanctuary of their own home. The mise-en-scene of the antagonist is another way we incorporated the theory into our film as the antagonist wore a black hoodie-creating a negative perception of those who wear hoodies, causing the audience to see them as dangers. The black hoodie could also be associated with gangs which could make the audience fearful of gang culture.

What does the theory suggest?


Strengths?


Weaknesses?


As audiences watch more television or films, they gradually develop certain views about the world, some of which are false.


This approach draws attention to the fact that audiences gain a lot of their knowledge from the media and also recognises the important role the media plays in our lives.


This approach can effect viewer’s perceptions and is hard to prove if accurate or not.

Audience theory- Two step flow

Audience Theories (The Two Step Flow Theory)

Katz and Lazarsfeld assumes a slightly more active audience and suggests that messages from the media move in two distinct ways. First, individuals who are opinion leaders, receive messages from the media and pass on their own interpretations in addition to the actual media content.

The information does not flow directly from the text into the minds of its audience, but is filtered through its opinion leaders who then pass it in to a more passive audience. The audience then mediate the information received directly from the media with the ideas and thoughts expressed by the opinion leaders, thus being influenced not by a direct process, but, by a two step flow.

This theory appeared to reduce the power of the media. and some researchers concluded that social factors were also important in the way in which audiences interpret texts. This then led to the idea of active audiences.

Audience theory- Active audiences

Audience Theories (The Active Audiences Theory)

This idea was created by the "Two Step Flow Theory", which was in a previous post, and sees the audience as individuals who are active and interact with the communication process and use media texts their own purposes. It is the active audience model and is considered to be a better and more realistic way to talk about audiences. We behave differently because we are different people from different backgrounds with many different attitudes, values, experiences and ideas.

Audience theory- Uses and gratification

Audience Theories (The Uses and Gratifications Theory)

The model stems from the idea that audiences are a complex mixture of individuals who select media texts that best suit their needs-which goes back to "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs".

The model suggests that media audiences are active and make active decisions about what they consume in relation to their social and cultural setting and their needs.

This was summed up by theorists Blumier and Katz in 1974; "Media usage can be explained in that it provides gratifications related to the satisfaction of social and psychological needs." This means that audiences choose to watch programmes that makes them feel good, for example Soaps or Sitcoms, or give them information that they can use, for example news and world events.

Our film also makes use of the Uses and Gratifications theory which states that there are five reasons why audiences consume media products-to be informed and educated, to identify with characters and situations, to be entertained, to be able to socialise by discussing the film and to escape from everyday life. Four of these are applied to our film but we do not inform or educate the audience as the purpose is to frighten and entertain them. Our audience will have many reasons to watch our film, one of which would be to identify with the characters. In our film, the characters have day to day lives that our audiences could relate to. They also offer different vices and virtues that, we like to think, our audience can relate to. The opening "Based on a true story" also allows the audience to relate to the film; it was a true event that could possibly happen to them. Another reason why our audience would enjoy our film is because its' main focus is to terrify and entertain the audience as they are left trembling in their seats. The third reason would be to offer escapism as our film allows the audience to follow the lives of other people and see how they deal with the terrifying situation they have found themselves in. It also allows the audience to immerse themselves in a world distant from their own-allowing to forget their problems and enjoy the film. The final reason of socialising and discussing aspects of the film can also be applied; there are many enigmas established throughout the film, leaving the audience with more questions than answers which could prompt a discussion to see the views of others.

What does the theory suggest?

Strengths?

Weaknesses?

Instead of researching what the media do to the audience, this approach studies what the audience does with the media. This approach also takes account of people’s personalities and personal needs.


The audience is seen as active and reasonably intelligent. Life experience in general is regarded as more influential than experience of media. The pleasures that the media offer audiences are not regarded as negative.


Too much optimism about the ‘power’ and ‘choices’ of an active audience can distract us from the power certain texts have, or the influence that media institutions and ownership may have on texts and understandings.

Audience theory- Reception theory

Audience Theories (The Receptions Analysis Theory)

The theory was put forward by Professor Stuart Hall and looks at how audiences interact with a media text, taking into account their situated culture. The theory suggests that social and daily experiences can affect the way an audience reads a media text and reacts to it.

What does the theory suggest?	Strengths?	Weaknesses?
Audiences are seen as active producers of meaning, rather than as merely consumers of media meanings. They make sense of media texts according to their social position and their gender.	This approach values highly the specific, personal and contextualised responses of individuals and groups. People’s life experiences are important influences which enable them to make active choices as members of media audiences.	The readings and responses of the audience are given more emphasis rather than the institutional aspects of the media. Some researchers can get side-tracked into analysing audience lifestyles, and thus media reception is sometimes neglected in favour of a more holistic sociological approach.

Audience theory- Hypodermic needle theory

Audience Theories (The Hypodermic Needle Model)

In this model the media is seen as powerful and able to inject ideas into an audience who are seen as weak and passive. It suggests that a media text can inject ideas, values and attitudes into a passive audience who might then act upon them. This theory also suggests that a media text has only one message which the audience must pick up. The theory stems from a fear of mass media, and gives the media much more power than it can ever have in a democracy. Also it ignores the obvious fact that not everyone in an audience behaves in a same way.

What does the theory suggest?	Strengths?	Weaknesses?
The theory is injected in the audience like a syringe used to inject a drug into the body, and it directly injects a message into the minds of the audience.	The approach draws attention to the power that media producers have, and to the importance of the forms of media to which audiences have access.	The “injected” audience is seen as passive and powerless, however they have they are smart and create their own perceptions of the media. It also suggests that all people think the same way, however we are each individuals and have our own ways of thinking-creating our own perceptions.

Audience theory- The male gaze

Audience Theories (The Male Gaze)


Laura Mulvey came up with the term ‘male gaze’ and she argues that in films the audience view the film from a heterosexual male point of view- where woman may be objectified in films for the pleasure of the male viewer. The theory suggests that characters,narratives, plots scenes,etc may be designed to appeal to a male audience.

The Male Gaze theory states that films are from a male perspective and objectify women, such as in Cabin in the Woods. This theory can also be applied to our film as we use two women in our trailer, in which one of them wears provocative clothing. However only one of the women has a main speaking role whereas the other is only there to fulfil the satisfaction of the male viewers. The plot does, however, focus on the female character of Rachel as she is the main protagonist and the character to solve and stop the killings in Surrey. This subverts the theory as the woman plays a bigger part than the male characters, which allows the film to appeal to both sexes as it does not, solely, focus on one gender.

Audience thoery- Utopian Theory

Audience Theories (The Utopian Solution Theory )

Richard Dyer states that entertainment texts offer audiences a ‘Utopia’ or perfect idea that they can access through media consumption. This ‘Utopia’ is in contrast to the imperfections and difficulties audiences face in their own lives and offers a perfect alternate dimension. Evidence of the "Utopian Solution Theory" can be seen in the popular film series of the "Hunger Games" as the audience are positioned to see Katniss Everdeentry overcome great odds and succeed in winning the tournament-while protecting her loved one, allowing the audience to take pleasure from her triumph

This does not link in to our film as the audience want to see the protagonist succeed and be the hero or heroine but in our trailer this inst the case as the killer succeeds by killing at least 3 people and not being caught. This maybe a bad idea as this means that by the audience seeing the trailer, they may feel that they don't want to watch the film as they don't see who they want to succeed.

Audience feedback 2

From the audience feedback we were able to understand the strengths and weaknesses of our trailer. From the feedback we identified that our strengths were how we effectively used non- diegetic music to create tension and the use of the black screen with 'Based on a true story' written across it was successful as it also created tension for the audience. Also our shot types were successful. The over-the shoulder shot we used caused the audience to question why the victim is being followed and it encouraged them to continue watching the trailer in order to find out why he is being followed. Also, the close up of the murder weapon was seen as a strength of our film as it emphasises the size of the weapon which could be seen as more lethal to the audience. Another strength of our film was the way we used fast paced shots. This kept the audience enticed to our film and encouraged them to continue watching. The other close up we used was of the victims hand hitting the door at the very last scene. This was seen as effective as the audience will want to know what has happened to the victim and whether she is likely to survive or not. We also successfully used high- angle shots to show our victims are vulnerable and weak. This allowed the audience to understand that they don't have much power and are most likely to be targeted by the killer. These are all conventions of horror films which means our film can be relateable to successful horror films. Our mise-en-scene was also effective, especially the use of clothing. We adhered to the typical conventions of what a killer would wear- dark clothing to hide their identity. By adhering to this it meant the audience was able to recognise that our film genre is horror and therefore may make our trailer more scary for the audience. Also our story line was seen as quite mixed. This meant that the audience were seen small sections of the films which concerned different characters. This meant the audience would be wondering whats happening to each of them and if they are all linked to one another.
However, the weaknesses of our trailer were that we didn't differentiate the transitions we used between shots. This perhaps meant that the audience weren't as enticed to our trailer as we didn't offer anything different which could create tension. Another weakness of our production is that it was hard to understand how each of the characters were linked. This may make it hard for the audience to watch as they will be trying to work out what relevance each character has to one another. So to improve this we could have included a scene of all our characters together with some dialogue which gives the audience a bit of background information as to how they are all linked

Evaluation 4

Evaluation Activity 4 (How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research and planning and in the Evaluation Activity 4 (How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research and planning and in the evaluation stages?)

We used Adobe Premiere Elements 10 to edit our film. We decided to choose adobe because it was fairly simple and easy to use. Our film was only just after one minute long so we didn't need to use really complicated software to edit. Also because our film was relatively simple we didn't need anything too complicated. Adobe Premiere Elements 10 was best suited to our film. The group and I have no experience in editing as we have never edited before so we also didn't want to use anything too complicated otherwise it would of taken us too long to edit which would have pushed back our finishing time. Despite Adobe Premiere Elements 10 being fairly simple in our editing process, it did offer a variety of different effects and transitions. This was good because it allowed us to choose between different effects and transitions which would best fit in with our film to make it the best it can be.

We used Blogger to upload everything we have done throughout the year. Blogger was an effective website that we used as we were able to document our progress and keep a track of everything we have done. It has showed our journey right from the very start up until now so it allows us to see the progress we have made over the past few months.

We used YouTube to share our finished product with our audience. It is very simple to use so did not cause us any problems when it came to sharing our film. YouTube also played a big part in our research. We were able to watch other openings to films of our genre and get ideas from them and also see the conventions they follow and if they subvert any of the conventions. This helped us establish what we needed to do to make our film successful.

The camera we used was a DV1 camera. This was the most important aspect in the making of our film because it was the item that captured our film. It was a decent camera as it did the basics (take pictures, film etc.) however it was not as good as we would have hoped. The picture was fairly clear however we had issues with zooming. Throughout our film we needed to zoom in during one of our shots however we were not able to do this. This was because when you zoomed in during one of the shots it was very jumpy which resulted in a very bad quality clip. This therefore meant that we could not zoom in during our shots.e evaluation stages?)

use new media technologies in the construction, research and planning and in the evaluation sta

Research and Planning

Research and Planning

What real media and audiences did you look at?

We looked at a variety of different horror films such as 'Cabin In The Woods', 'The Blair Witch Project' and 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. We looked at these films because these all adhere to many of the typical conventions of a horror film. This meant we were able to take on board what we have seen in these films and work them into our film. This would mean that our film would be more recognisable as a horror film to our audience. This would make our film more enjoyable for the audience.

We also looked at our target audience. We looked at individuals who had a keen interest in horror films. We did this because they would know the typical conventions in a horror film. This meant when we questioned them about what they would like to see in our film it would be reliable and accurately similar to real horror films, therefore making our film similar to successful well known horror films. We used the same media and audiences for both AS and A2. We did this because we chose horror as the genre for both our media productions which meant all our research was relevant to both our productions. For our AS production we had to construct a two minute opening, so we looked at successful horror film openings. However, for A2 we needed to construct a trailer so we looked at horror film trailers such as House At The End Of The Street.

How did they inform your thinking about your media production?

The real audiences we looked at informed us about what they would like to see in our horror film.
This helped us with ideas for our 2 minute opening and trailer as they would be our target audience so we wanted to include things they most wanted to see. Also, if we made it appealing to the small sample of people we looked at, it would most likely appeal to a much wider audience.

How did you record all that research?

We recorded our research for our AS production by analysing two minute openings and making a note of what conventions the openings have adhered to. We could then use these conventions in our own film to make it more appealing to the audience. For A2 we used the same method, however instead of analysing two minute openings, we analysed horror film trailers. These informed us about what we should included in our trailer, therefore making it more conforming to the horror genre.

What primary research was undertaken?

AS: The primary research we undertook for our AS production was a questionnaire that we distributed to a number of people. The type of questions we included were about where they would most like to see the location for the film set, which murder weapon they preferred and if the murderer should have an iconic costume. The purpose of this questionnaire was to get an idea about what our typical audience members expected to see. This meant that we were able to adapt our opening two minutes to live up to the audiences expectations which, in turn, would make our film more enjoyable for our audience.

A2: The primary research we undertook for our A2 production was the same as what we did for AS. We kept the same method for extracting our primary data as it was the most effective way to reliable results.

How did it inform the production?

AS: We were able to understand what our target audience most wanted to see in our film e.g. murder weapon, location etc. So, as the most popular location was a woods we set the location for our film in a woods. This meant the audience would be most likely to enjoy watching our film as they would prefer the location.

A2: Similar to AS it meant we were able to include what the audience most wanted to see into our trailer. We changed some of our ideas in order to cooperate with the audiences preferences. E.g location.

What is the effectiveness of these kinds of research?

For both AS and A2 this research was very effective as it provided us with up to date information about our target audiences preferences. This meant we were able to adapt our production in order to suit our audience which would make it more enjoyable for them.

Research and Planning

What real media and audiences did you look at?

We looked at a variety of different horror films such as 'Cabin In The Woods', 'The Blair Witch Project' and 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. We looked at these films because these all adhere to many of the typical conventions of a horror film. This meant we were able to take on board what we have seen in these films and work them into our film. This would mean that our film would be more recognisable as a horror film to our audience. This would make our film more enjoyable for the audience.

We also looked at our target audience. We looked at individuals who had a keen interest in horror films. We did this because they would know the typical conventions in a horror film. This meant when we questioned them about what they would like to see in our film it would be reliable and accurately similar to real horror films, therefore making our film similar to successful well known horror films. We used the same media and audiences for both AS and A2. We did this because we chose horror as the genre for both our media productions which meant all our research was relevant to both our productions. For our AS production we had to construct a two minute opening, so we looked at successful horror film openings. However, for A2 we needed to construct a trailer so we looked at horror film trailers such as House At The End Of The Street.

How did they inform your thinking about your media production?

The real audiences we looked at informed us about what they would like to see in our horror film.

This helped us with ideas for our 2 minute opening and trailer as they would be our target audience so we wanted to include things they most wanted to see. Also, if we made it appealing to the small sample of people we looked at, it would most likely appeal to a much wider audience.

How did you record all that research?

We recorded our research for our AS production by analysing two minute openings and making a note of what conventions the openings have adhered to. We could then use these conventions in our own film to make it more appealing to the audience. For A2 we used the same method, however instead of analysing two minute openings, we analysed horror film trailers. These informed us about what we should included in our trailer, therefore making it more conforming to the horror genre.

What primary research was undertaken?

AS: The primary research we undertook for our AS production was a questionnaire that we distributed to a number of people. The type of questions we included were about where they would most like to see the location for the film set, which murder weapon they preferred and if the murderer should have an iconic costume. The purpose of this questionnaire was to get an idea about what our typical audience members expected to see. This meant that we were able to adapt our opening two minutes to live up to the audiences expectations which, in turn, would make our film more enjoyable for our audience. 

A2: The primary research we undertook for our A2 production was the same as what we did for AS. We kept the same method for extracting our primary data as it was the most effective way to reliable results.

How did it inform the production?

AS: We were able to understand what our target audience most wanted to see in our film e.g. murder weapon, location etc. So, as the most popular location was a woods we set the location for our film in a woods. This meant the audience would be most likely to enjoy watching our film as they would prefer the location.

A2: Similar to AS it meant we were able to include what the audience most wanted to see into our trailer. We changed some of our ideas in order to cooperate with the audiences preferences. E.g location.

What is the effectiveness of these kinds of research?

For both AS and A2 this research was very effective as it provided us with up to date information about our target audiences preferences. This meant we were able to adapt our production in order to suit our audience which would make it more enjoyable for them.

What quantitative and qualitative analysis methods were employed?

For both AS and A2 the quantitative analysis methods we used were questionnaires. We used closed questions in our questionnaire which meant the individuals answering the questionnaire had to chose one of the answers we had written on the page. This meant we were able to get a quantitative result which made it easier for us to understand what are target audience's preferences are.

The qualitative analysis methods we used were interviews with target audience members. This meant that we were able to get unique answers from each individual but could also be relatable to other target audience members.

How did the results from these inform the production?

These results informed the production as we were able to determine what our target audience would like to see, which allowed us to successfully modify our film ideas to adhere to what the audience wants to see.

What is the effectiveness of these kinds of research?

These kinds of research are extremely effective as it means we were able to successfully adapt our film to suit the audiences tastes. This means that they would be most likely to enjoy our film. It also means our film is likely to be successful as we know that from our research we are including things the audience wants to see. This lessens the risk of failure for our film.

What quantitative and qualitative analysis methods were employed?

For both AS and A2 the quantitative analysis methods we used were questionnaires. We used closed questions in our questionnaire which meant the individuals answering the questionnaire had to chose one of the answers we had written on the page. This meant we were able to get a quantitative result which made it easier for us to understand what are target audience's preferences are.

The qualitative analysis methods we used were interviews with target audience members. This meant that we were able to get unique answers from each individual but could also be relatable to other target audience members.

How did the results from these inform the production?

These results informed the production as we were able to determine what our target audience would like to see, which allowed us to successfully modify our film ideas to adhere to what the audience wants to see.

What is the effectiveness of these kinds of research?

These kinds of research are extremely effective as it means we were able to successfully adapt our film to suit the audiences tastes. This means that they would be most likely to enjoy our film. It also means our film is likely to be successful as we know that from our research we are including things the audience wants to see. This lessens the risk of failure for our film.